Edward Before Bella
by hysteriabliss
Summary: What was it like before Bella moved to Forks?  Begins in the hospitaljust before he is changed.  From Edward's POV.  Read and Review!  I will try to get the second Chapter done quickly!
1. The Influenza

**Disclaimer: The following characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer. I made up the plot but this fanfic is written solely in tribute to her marvelous work, and is not meant as a copyright infringement.**

**From Edward's POV**

**I could feel the death sweep over me- knew I was due to die today. I was almost glad to know that the pain would be gone…the burning, searing agony that was the influenza. My fever had reached 106, and my head felt like it would explode. The doctor had left, gone to tend the other million patients dying in the hospital. The influenza was a sick virus, one that had left me parentless but an hour ago. And soon, I, too, would die. **

**My searing headache was killing me, and my ears were bleeding. My doctor said that would stop and go, but the blood was everywhere, and hadn't stopped for hours. Quite honestly I was terrified. That was the last thought I had before slipping into unconsciousness…**

**When I reentered the conscious world, it was to the sound of my doctor's voice. Dr. Cohen? No, Coren-Cotton, no, that wasn't right. My memory was fading, whereas it used to be incredibly sharp for a 17 year-old boy. Cullen! That was his name. Dr. Cullen. He was mumbling to himself. Someone else had died. I sighed. That was just the way the influenza was. I couldn't understand how he stood it all, the death, the pain. Knowing someone one day, and then them dying before your eyes the next.**

**He turned his head at my small, sad noise, his coal black eyes penetrating my bright green ones. "Hello, Edward," he said gravely. **

**In severe pain, all I managed was a small squeak. He understood and nodded, leaning over me to sop up the blood still flowing freely out of my ear. I screamed as his gentle hands moved over the blisters forming on my cheek, my cry simply joining those of the thousands suffering in Chicago.**

**Dr. Cullen began to talk, his steady voice leaving a messy jumble of numbers and useless information in my mind. Basically, I knew I was going to die, and I didn't care what he had to tell me. Then his methodical voice faded a bit, returning to it''s mumbling state, concerned about something. **

**Finally, his inner battle seemed to end, and he let out a triumphant and firm cry. ""Edward, I think I know something that can save you. But you have to trust me. I'll have to take you home and administer to you there. I'll carry you." As if I could have fought him in my present condition. And he seemed like a fairly trustworthy guy, definitely well-respected at the hospital. I tried to nod, but ended up letting out a high-pitched squeal as my head exploded. My head was spinning, and thinking straight was impossible. With a last, short burst of pain, everything went black.**


	2. Pain, Anguish, and an Angel

**Disclaimer:** The characters in the following story are property of Stephenie Meyer, and their use in this fan fiction is meant solely as a tribute to her work, not as a copyright infringement.

The next few hours memories blurred together. I remember seeing my mother's pale, limp figure lying in the morgue, her green eyes, brighter even than mine, staring at me, willing me to live...Dr. Cullen's firm hands beneath me, cradling me to his chest, lifting even my bulky, muscular form easily...the midnight blue sky, filled with stars above the Chicago skyline as we ran swiftly across the rooftops of the city...wait, no, that can't be right, we were probably in a car...Dr. Cullen's deep, steady voice assuring me I would be alright...the wetness of the blood as my ear erupted again...and then we were in a building, and I was lying on a table, and Dr. Cullen was telling me that I would feel better in a few days, although there would be pain involved.

And then there was a man in front of me. Could it have been the doctor? His face contorted with indecision, but determined nonetheless, as his teeth, usually forming a charming smile, caressed my throat. He could have been kissing me. But then there was a burning sensation, overpowering the intense headache and feverish feeling from the flu, searing my neck. I heard a shriek, but it was a detached sound, as if echoing from far away. I couldn't have been me.

As the scalding sensation grew stronger in my neck, I saw Dr. Cullen moving, like a hawk might move around hunted prey. He finally stopped at the area near my right hand, leaning in, and picking up my hand delicately, still examining it like a piece of meat. And then my wrist was throbbing too, like there was a fire, in my hand. During this entire process, I had been unaware of my screaming, but now the pain was too much to bear, and I went into hysterics.

"Fire! Please, please, put out the fire! It's burning! Please!" I was sobbing now, overcome by the intensity of the pain encasing my hand and neck. I became unaware of the doctor's movements around me, and was shocked when I found my left leg to be on fire too. "Please! Stop the fire! Please, please, stop! No! Argh! No! Please!" I shrieked, enveloped by the pain of the fire, the burning that Dr. Cullen seemed so vehemently unaware of.

"Stop the fire!" Why could I only feel it? Why wouldn't it stop! My thoughts were hysterical. I continued yelping and moaning for hours, the fire spreading slowly through my body, suffusing my senses, until, finally, mercifully, I fell into utter darkness.

And I floated. The darkness and it's numbing nothingness carried me through seas of sorrow, and I welcomed the emptiness, the relief from the fire. And as I floated, I dreamed. Sometimes I heard voices, a gentle hum of indistinguishable murmurings. But once, I saw an angel. I thought she had come to save me from the fire, but instead, the beautiful brown-haired angel with the full lips and pale skin pushed me into the fire, allowing me to be encased in its ever-growing embers, forcing me to feel the flames lick every particle of my body, burning my mind and soul into madness.

During the time I was enveloped in flames or even floating on the peaceful rivers, I had no sense of time passing whatsoever. I was aware simply of the fire, and of the burn in my throat, and the screams echoing throughout the room, or of nothing at all.

But eventually, the fire began to fade. The flames still licked at my chest and neck, but had begun to fade from my toes and fingers. I found I heard a voice, Dr. Cullen's, speaking to me, telling me the fire would fade, and everything would be alright. I also heard another Dr. Cullen, worried, concerned, mumbling about whether he should have changed me...I didn't understand this doctor. There was also a hum, just on the edge of my thoughts, whispering things to me I didn't understand. I didn't recognize these voices, and ignored them, trying to focus on Dr. Cullen's words of encouragement, that the fire would leave soon.


	3. Vampires?

**Disclaimer:** The characters in the following story are property of Stephenie Meyer, and their use in this fan fiction is meant solely as a tribute to her work, not as a copyright infringement.

When I woke up from one of my floating periods, I was suddenly aware of the absence of the fire. My body still felt slightly numb, but I was certain I wasn't screaming, and the flames were no longer licking me from deep within my chest. I was also conscious of a new burn, a desire, yearning, in the back of my throat.

I saw Dr. Cullen again, moments after I woke up, and instinctively shied away, not wanting him to start the fire again. "So you're awake. Now, Edward, I'm going to tell you something in a minute that will raise doubts in your mind, and maybe even cause you to question my sanity. But what I tell you is very real and truly has happened, to both me and you." His slow, methodical voice stopped, wary of my reaction. I merely stared, not quite understanding what I was hearing. I could hear a low hum in the back of my mind, as if from a great distance away, or like a hall filled with whispering voices. And the burn that still surged through my throat was strong.

"Okay, Edward. You have just come very close to death. Three days ago, before your mother died, she asked me to do everything in my power to save you from the same fate. And Edward, I am a vampire, so I felt obligated to give you immortality, in order to keep my promise to her."

I continued to stare, perplexed by the words that came in a slow, steady tone. "Wait, I'm a vampire? Is that what you're telling me?" I didn't believe it, the words didn't make sense, couldn't make sense. "But that's impossible."

"I'm afraid not, Edward. Do you feel the burn in the back of your throat, like unquenchable fire? That is your new thirst. Your bloodlust. And the strong, firm muscles that I notice you are flexing confusedly? Those are symbols of your power, the "super-strength" that we are endowed with.

"What are the voices?"

"Voices? You hear voices? I'm the only one here, I'm afraid. There are no voices."

"But I hear your voice, and others, even when you're not talking. Mumbling, worrying, just a buzz in the background," I said, still not comprehending fully the concept of my vampirism.

"Maybe..." one of the voices that belonged to Dr. Cullen trailed off, but the other kept talking..._Is that his power? To read minds, and thoughts...Like Aro, but stronger..._ His voice didn't make sense to me, and his lips remained unmoving.

"Why can I hear you when your lips aren't moving?'

"I'm not sure, Edward. I think it may be your power. To hear the minds of those around you. Very useful, I'm sure. What are they saying, may I ask? Or, what is my other voice saying?"

I listened hard, tuning out the rest of the buzz to hear the voice of Dr. Cullen again. _Can you hear me? Just tell me what you hear. How convenient, the distance you can have, and still cast...curious, really..._ His voice faded in and out, musing on and on.

"You said, "Just tell me what you hear. How convenient," and then something about casting, and distance," I said. "That's all."

"How fascinating! Edward, it seems that you have the power to mindcast."

**The End of the Chapter! R&R, please! Sorry about the delay getting that one up! I'll try to keep writing, but I'm super busy! **


	4. The Lonely Cowboy

**Hey, guys! Thanks for continuing to read! Sorry it took me so long to update...I've been uber busy.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are **_**still**_** the property of the wonderful, fantastic, and most amazing author alive, Stephenie Meyer. I have no ownership of them, nor do I write these fanfics with anything other than good intentions and awe at the fantastic work that is ****Twilight!**

Edward's POV:

I was still trying to absorb the idea of my vampirism, despite the fact that I could feel the burn and had gone feeding with Carlisle twice now. The concept was so foreign to my mind, brought up in the idea that vampires didn't exist, and anyone who claimed otherwise was to be put in a mental institution, that even the action of feeding wasn't enough to entirely convince me.

There were a few things I missed intensely, however–my family, although I wouldn't have been able to see my parents again, even if I was still human, and most importantly, sleep. There were far too many hours in the day to spend all of them awake, and far too little to do in the small house where the doctor lived. I was incredibly lonely, without any chance for human interaction, except for with Carlisle, who was at work most of the day.

But time passed, slowly, and soon I realized that I had grown slowly accustomed to the life I had been living. It had been a few months, and I still thirsted more intensely than ever, still spent my time wishing I could go outside into the city and use my newfound power, however much Carlisle insisted that I was far too dangerous still. The voices persisted, and I continued to hone them–learning to tune into voices nearby, trying to pick out the voices of people I had once known from those of the other city inhabitants.

I was still lonely, but conditions improved, and eventually, the first year of my vampirism passed.

**The End of the Chapter! Sorry it was short, but I can't write too much now. Soon we'll get into more characters and action! I know that the first 4 chapters have been excruciatingly dull, but they will improve, I promise! R&R, please!**


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